“While I was at the window of my house, looking through the curtain, I saw some naive young men, and one in particular who lacked common sense. He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house….. [The woman says] “I’ve perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses, for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip.” (Proverbs 7:6-8; 17–19, NLT)
The scripture above is probably one that you have never heard addressed in a sermon or a meditation or a Bible study. It is the story of a woman cheating on her husband who desires to lure a young man into her bed. These types of subjects are often refrained upon in most churches. They often go undiscussed in Bible study circles due to the sexual overtones clearly presented in the scripture. What’s worse is that this very scripture has a lot to teach young men about the wiles of some women, the immorality of the world that so easily captures the soul, and about how illicit sexuality ruins lives. Today, I’m not going to delve into the sexual overtones. I’m not looking to engage with the sinfulness of those involved. Instead, I want to look at what happens when people become enamored with distractions.
Look at the young man in the scripture. He is described as “naïve” and “lacking in common sense” (Proverbs 7:7). He seems to be an innocent fellow, bumbling through life, going on his way oblivious to the spiritual dangers around him. Along the way, his life takes a turn. He walks by the house of a “an immoral woman” who is “dressed like harlot”, “loud”, “wily”, and promiscuous (Proverbs 7:8-12). She is also described as “lying in wait” for her prey to come along, her prey being a good-looking young man who wants to have a fling. The woman’s husband is “not home”. She has prepared her bed for an affair. She endeavors to seduce this young man away from his friends, away from his life, into her bed (Proverbs 7:18-19).
I find it interesting that the immoral woman is described as “lying in wait”. These words are usually used to describe an animal searching for prey. Lamentations 3:10 uses such words in describing a hunting bear or hungry lion. Hosea 6:9 uses the same words to describe a robber looking for his next victim. Spiritually, Luke 11:54 uses these words to describe the Pharisees who sought to pounce on Jesus’ teachings to accuse him of some wrong. A person or animal who “lies in wait” is intending harm upon another. In our scripture for today, the harm that the woman will bring to the young man comes from adultery, immorality, sin, and illicit pleasure.
I have seen many people lured away from a holy life into sin. I have seen pastors who were overcome with lust for a member of the congregation. Christians are exposed to all kinds of sinful lures every day. Satan loves to throw out the bait of sinful pleasures to see who takes the bait.
The sin of this scripture and Satan himself both accomplish the same things in life. They seduce you away from a walk of faith. In the same manner that the immoral woman seduces the naïve young man into her bed, Satan is seducing faithful people into leaving their holy lives to indulge in some worldly distraction.
Let me explain with an example close to home. I have a very close friend who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). If certain things are left undone, he cannot feel safe or even live with himself. Before bed, he MUST check every lock on the house multiple times. The locks cannot go unlocked! His closet is filled with shirts and pants that are arraigned by color. He cannot stand to have one shirt out of arrangement in his closet. If he sees it, he MUST move it. IMMEDIATELY! He is compelled. He cannot sleep if something is out of place.
If a picture on the wall is slightly crooked, he MUST make it straight and level. If just one bowl is sitting atop a plate in his cupboard, it MUST be moved to the other bowls… and he can’t rest until that happens. If you put something out of place and ask him not to do anything about it, he suffers greatly until everything is back in order. This obsessiveness weighs on every part of his life. He is constantly washing his hands. He can’t stand for spills or dirt to gather. After relatives leave his Thanksgiving dinner, he and his wife spend hours putting everything back in its place and in order, or he will never sleep that night. Nothing else can happen while this OCD-suffering man is dealing with messes. He can’t sleep until things are put right. He can’t eat comfortably until everything is in order. He can’t even go read his Bible until everything in his den is perfectly placed, otherwise he can’t concentrate on godly things.
This tortured friend of mine finds it very difficult to do God’s work. In the morning, he reads a scripture in his Bible and feels led by God to reach out to a coworker. Determined to pray with that coworker, he gets up and starts to get ready. Before he calls the coworker, he checks the kitchen. He finds two stains to clean and dishes in the dishwasher to put away. Then, when he goes to get his coat ready for his trip over to the coworker’s house, he discovers a slight tear. He hounds his wife to fix the tear immediately. Because she has other things to do, it takes an hour to get around to it. By the time my friend is ready to call his coworker for a visit, it’s too dark. The day is almost over. It’s too late. The distractions have taken him away from a mission for God.
So many people get distracted from completing God’s tasks. Satan knows this. Satan uses this against them. Satan will use this on you. He will get you distracted with one thing or another. Then, you will either forget or not have time to accomplish God’s task. He throws distractions of all sorts in your way.
I have met loving, Christian people who have been blessed with wonderful gifts in life. Sadly, some of those gifts become a distraction Satan uses to keep them from fulfilling work for Christ. Some of these people are so busy taking care of a home, kids, a car, a boat, a vacation rental that they don’t have time for anything more. Some of these people grow so tired with work that they don’t have time to attend a Bible study after their long days. Some people are so busy with social media, they don’t leave time for reading their Bible. Some pastors are even so busy with family and church life, they don’t take time to pray!
It is so easy for Satan to distract people with pleasures, with sins, with business, with work, with material possessions, with obligations, with a handsome boy or a pretty girlfriend. While the distractions get your attention, God’s work goes undone.
Today, I want you to determine what things/people/obligations/thoughts/temptations are distracting you from godly things. Limit their control over your actions. Keep God at the forefront of your thoughts. Determine to put prayer and worship and God’s little and big missions as priorities in your day. Let nothing pull you away from God’s presence and purpose. Momentary little distractions may easily pull your attention away from something more important, dare I say, something eternal!
Look at the young man in the scripture. He is described as “naïve” and “lacking in common sense” (Proverbs 7:7). He seems to be an innocent fellow, bumbling through life, going on his way oblivious to the spiritual dangers around him. Along the way, his life takes a turn. He walks by the house of a “an immoral woman” who is “dressed like harlot”, “loud”, “wily”, and promiscuous (Proverbs 7:8-12). She is also described as “lying in wait” for her prey to come along, her prey being a good-looking young man who wants to have a fling. The woman’s husband is “not home”. She has prepared her bed for an affair. She endeavors to seduce this young man away from his friends, away from his life, into her bed (Proverbs 7:18-19).
I find it interesting that the immoral woman is described as “lying in wait”. These words are usually used to describe an animal searching for prey. Lamentations 3:10 uses such words in describing a hunting bear or hungry lion. Hosea 6:9 uses the same words to describe a robber looking for his next victim. Spiritually, Luke 11:54 uses these words to describe the Pharisees who sought to pounce on Jesus’ teachings to accuse him of some wrong. A person or animal who “lies in wait” is intending harm upon another. In our scripture for today, the harm that the woman will bring to the young man comes from adultery, immorality, sin, and illicit pleasure.
I have seen many people lured away from a holy life into sin. I have seen pastors who were overcome with lust for a member of the congregation. Christians are exposed to all kinds of sinful lures every day. Satan loves to throw out the bait of sinful pleasures to see who takes the bait.
The sin of this scripture and Satan himself both accomplish the same things in life. They seduce you away from a walk of faith. In the same manner that the immoral woman seduces the naïve young man into her bed, Satan is seducing faithful people into leaving their holy lives to indulge in some worldly distraction.
Let me explain with an example close to home. I have a very close friend who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). If certain things are left undone, he cannot feel safe or even live with himself. Before bed, he MUST check every lock on the house multiple times. The locks cannot go unlocked! His closet is filled with shirts and pants that are arraigned by color. He cannot stand to have one shirt out of arrangement in his closet. If he sees it, he MUST move it. IMMEDIATELY! He is compelled. He cannot sleep if something is out of place.
If a picture on the wall is slightly crooked, he MUST make it straight and level. If just one bowl is sitting atop a plate in his cupboard, it MUST be moved to the other bowls… and he can’t rest until that happens. If you put something out of place and ask him not to do anything about it, he suffers greatly until everything is back in order. This obsessiveness weighs on every part of his life. He is constantly washing his hands. He can’t stand for spills or dirt to gather. After relatives leave his Thanksgiving dinner, he and his wife spend hours putting everything back in its place and in order, or he will never sleep that night. Nothing else can happen while this OCD-suffering man is dealing with messes. He can’t sleep until things are put right. He can’t eat comfortably until everything is in order. He can’t even go read his Bible until everything in his den is perfectly placed, otherwise he can’t concentrate on godly things.
This tortured friend of mine finds it very difficult to do God’s work. In the morning, he reads a scripture in his Bible and feels led by God to reach out to a coworker. Determined to pray with that coworker, he gets up and starts to get ready. Before he calls the coworker, he checks the kitchen. He finds two stains to clean and dishes in the dishwasher to put away. Then, when he goes to get his coat ready for his trip over to the coworker’s house, he discovers a slight tear. He hounds his wife to fix the tear immediately. Because she has other things to do, it takes an hour to get around to it. By the time my friend is ready to call his coworker for a visit, it’s too dark. The day is almost over. It’s too late. The distractions have taken him away from a mission for God.
So many people get distracted from completing God’s tasks. Satan knows this. Satan uses this against them. Satan will use this on you. He will get you distracted with one thing or another. Then, you will either forget or not have time to accomplish God’s task. He throws distractions of all sorts in your way.
I have met loving, Christian people who have been blessed with wonderful gifts in life. Sadly, some of those gifts become a distraction Satan uses to keep them from fulfilling work for Christ. Some of these people are so busy taking care of a home, kids, a car, a boat, a vacation rental that they don’t have time for anything more. Some of these people grow so tired with work that they don’t have time to attend a Bible study after their long days. Some people are so busy with social media, they don’t leave time for reading their Bible. Some pastors are even so busy with family and church life, they don’t take time to pray!
It is so easy for Satan to distract people with pleasures, with sins, with business, with work, with material possessions, with obligations, with a handsome boy or a pretty girlfriend. While the distractions get your attention, God’s work goes undone.
Today, I want you to determine what things/people/obligations/thoughts/temptations are distracting you from godly things. Limit their control over your actions. Keep God at the forefront of your thoughts. Determine to put prayer and worship and God’s little and big missions as priorities in your day. Let nothing pull you away from God’s presence and purpose. Momentary little distractions may easily pull your attention away from something more important, dare I say, something eternal!
Today's video is a deep-dive into distractions that keep you from a close relationship with God. Click below for the video!